Three's a Trend: Will "Jack the Stripper" Strike Again?

It began with Rebecca Zahau, the 32-year-old woman found bound, naked, and hanged by her neck from the second-floor balcony of a Coronado mansion. The death was ruled a suicide, but questions persisted: why did she bind herself first? Why was there tape residue on her legs? Why were there injuries to her head? Why was there a t-shirt wrapped around her neck and stuffed into her mouth? Some observers suspected foul play.

Then there was the case of Anneka Vasta, a.k.a. Anneka DiLorenzo, the former Penthouse Pet of the Year who was found broken, naked, and drowned on a Marine training beach in Camp Pendleton. The death was ruled a suicide, but questions persisted: how did her body get there? Why was there a bloody steak knife in her car? Some observers suspected foul play.

[Anneka Vasta on the set of the 1977 political drama Bra Be Gone.]

Now, those same observers are advising the media to brace for the revelation of a third death. Lauren Dazzle, editor in chief of Sensational San Diego, speculates that the victim will once again be female and naked. The death will look like a suicide, but there will be nagging questions - "almost like clues, or taunts."

Dazzle suggests the possibility that a serial killer might be at work in San Diego, a serial killer who might eventually be nicknamed by a cynical, ghoulish media establishment as "Jack the Stripper." "Did I mention that all of the victims are naked?" asks Dazzle. "And remember - that nickname is totally mine. I made it up. Must credit Sensational San Diego."

So far, police have refused to comment, citing their policy regarding investigations that are "ongoing." But, says Dazzle, "Is it just coincidence that just last Friday, a second autopsy was performed on the already-buried Zahau? I think not."